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Re: rifles and pesticides
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Subject: Re: rifles and pesticides
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From: BOULL@AgResearch.cri.nz (Lawrence Boul)
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Date: Fri, 08 Nov 96 02:52:33 GMT
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Article: 15802 of alt.sustainable.agriculture
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Newsgroups: alt.sustainable.agriculture
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Organization: AgResearch, Lincoln
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References: <9611041358.AA06125@colmar.colmar.inra.fr>
In article <9611041358.AA06125@colmar.colmar.inra.fr>,
vdwerf@colmar.inra.fr (Hayo van der Werf) wrote:
>Bill Duesing writes:
>>I believe the point of the zuchinni ad is that pesticides kill more poeple
than
>>assult rifles, and yet there is all this commotion about rifles and little
>about
>>pesticides.
>>
>
>I do think the risks posed by pesticide use are often underestimated, but
>there is not much use in exagerating by making this kind of comparisons.
>WHO-UNEP (1989) estimates pesticides kill 20 000 people yearly, 220 000
>people when suicides are included. I do not have the data for people killed
>by rifles but I would be very much surprised if Bill Duesing were right on
>this account.
>
Without wanting to be an apologist for pesticides, they also save lives.
World food production wouldn't be what it is without them, and diseases spread
by insect vectors have taken a dive post-DDT.
I guess the point is that rifles have no other purpose than causing death
(granted that some of this death may be pest erradication or 'sport').
Pesticides are applied for a number of reasons, that while not entirely
alturistic, are at least generally beneficial.
Lawrence Boul
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Disclaimer: The above is a personal opinion and does not reflect the
official view of AgResearch Ltd.
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